Not just any burkini, it’s an M&S burkini
The ultimate proof Britain is truly multicultural as Marks splashes out on a Muslim swimwear range
IN WHAT could be the ultimate sign of the nation’s growing diversity, Middle England’s favourite retailer has started selling burkinis.
Marks & Spencer now stocks two styles of the full-length swimwear, which is designed to protect the modesty of Muslim women.
The company explains that the £49.50 suit ‘covers the whole body with the exception of the face, hands and feet, without compromising on style’ and boasts: ‘It’s lightweight so you can swim in comfort.’
M&S has stores in Dubai and – perhaps surprisingly – Libya, which have sold the three-piece sets for the past three years.
But now they are available from the company’s website in the UK and will soon be on sale at the company’s flagship store in Marble Arch, Central London.
As well as appealing to Muslim women in the UK, the designs may prove popular with women worried about the damage that exposure to the sun could do to the skin.
After celebrity chef Nigella Lawson made headlines when she was pictured wearing a burkini on Australia’s Bondi Beach in 2011, she explained that she did not like having to reapply factor 50 sunscreen after swimming. ‘I can see it looks odd but it is incredibly comfortable and there’s no sun block and you’re not getting a tan,’ she said.
‘Modest wear’ has become an increasingly lucrative market in Britain, as the Muslim population grows. The first modest fashion store opened in a Bradford shopping mall earlier this year, while bigname labels such as Mango, Uniqlo and DKNY have released collections to coincide with the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
Meanwhile, H&M has featured a hijab-wearing model in its advertising for the first time.
M&S’s new burkinis – which comprise a head covering, long-sleeved tunic and trousers – are available in blue with a floral print across the chest or black with a paisley pattern down one side.
But the suits, which are part of the high street store’s summer swimwear collection, proved controversial within days of going on sale.
A backlash started on the Hot UK Deals website, after one user posted a link to a discount offer on the M&S designs. One commenter replied that it was unfair that women had to dress up ‘like frogmen’ while men with ‘uncontrollable sexual urges’ could go swimming in tiny Speedo trunks, while another claimed that the head-to-toe garment showed the ‘oppression of women’.
Yet others said the criticism of burkinis represented ‘insidious xenophobia’ and that women should be allowed to wear them if they feel comfortable. Some users predicted burkinis will become more popular because of increasing concerns about skin cancer, suggesting they should simply be known as ‘solar suits’ to show that they are not just for the devoutly religious.
A spokesman for Marks & Spencer said last night: ‘M&S provides a wide range of quality swimwear. We have sold this item for a number of years and it is popular with our customers internationally.’